On Thursday, it's Christmas Eve again with Santas, porridge and toys.

But this year's Christmas will not be as usual, but despite that, many are expected to hit the roads around Christmas and New Year, which is usually one of the most intense traffic weekends.

- Probably there will be fewer people out and traveling in total this year.

But the ski resorts are still available and there are a lot of bookings.

We probably think that it will be experienced that there are a lot of cars out on the few roads that lead to mountain resorts.

On the other hand, there will probably not be as much traffic as before, says the Swedish Transport Administration's press manager Bengt Olsson.

Car traffic has decreased

Since the second wave of the corona pandemic swept across Sweden last autumn, car traffic has declined again.

- Since October, it has crept down about 15 percent.

This is mainly for the metropolitan regions, but it is probably the same figures in the rest of the country.

Then there will be most traffic

Since Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday this year, Bengt Olsson believes that some will leave as early as 18 December.

- It will probably be a scattered pattern this year.

There will be some already on Friday, especially in the mountain resorts where cottage changes are usually made on the weekends.

The shorter trips, which are not that long, we will probably mainly see on 23 December.

Above all, it can be intense on the major roads, such as the E4 along the east coast of northern Sweden.

- The major roads such as the E4 along the east coast and the roads from metropolitan regions such as the E6 and E14.

However, we do not really know if there will be the same pressure on the E22 from Norrköping and down towards Västervik and Kalmar.

"Keep distance"

Bengt Olsson also has an invitation to all motorists who go on this year's theme to keep their distance.

- It's not just about keeping your distance from people at Christmas, but it's important to keep your distance on the wheels as well.

The average with serious accidents and where you need medical care is 32 people every day at Christmas and New Year.

We are full of the pandemic now and then, we do not need to put on healthcare with more jobs, says Bengt Olsson.